Tributes to British man aged 41 killed in Norway helicopter crash

Tributes have been paid to a British man who was among 13 people killed in a helicopter crash in Norway.

The 41-year-old, who worked for oilfield services company Halliburton, has been named locally as Iain Stuart, from Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire.

The Super Puma was carrying two crew and 11 passengers from the North Sea Gullfaks B oil field, around 74 miles (120 kilometres) off the Norwegian coast when it crashed en route to Flesland Airport in Bergen on Friday.

Mr Stuart was a member of Brechin Golf Club, where yesterday the flag flew at half mast.

Stephen Rennie, resident golf professional and manager, told the Sunday Mail: “The whole club is shocked and saddened to hear the devastating news about Iain.

“He was a very popular member of the club and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”

Family friend Charles Aitken, 75, told the newspaper: “My daughter knows his wife Amy. They are a really lovely family – it’s an absolute tragedy.”

In tributes posted on social media, Mr Stuart was described as “always a gent” and “a top bloke”.

Field operators Statoil said the pilots of the helicopter – a Norwegian and an Italian – were CHC Helicopter staff.

The 10 other Norwegian passengers were employed by companies including Schlumberger, Aker Solutions, and Statoil. Their names have not yet been released.

All UK commercial passenger flights using the Airbus EC225LP – or Super Puma – model have been grounded by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) following the accident.

The aircraft shattered into pieces when it smashed into the rocky shoreline of Turoey, a tiny island outside Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city.

Norwegian television showed footage of what appeared to be a helicopter rotor blade spiralling down minutes before the helicopter crashed.

Emergency crews pulled the wrecked fuselage out of the sea on Saturday ahead of an investigation into the cause.

A team from the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is assisting with the investigation.